Vegetable topper



Nov. 4, 1930. R. HAHN VEGETABLE TOPPER 3 Sheets-Sheef l ADO Y HAH/V Filed April 4. 1927 /Nl/ENTOR A TTORNE y VNOV. 4, 1930. R- HAHN VEGETABLE TOPPER Filed April 4, 1927 5 Sheets-Shee'c 2 /QO Y HAH/V 1N VENTO/e R. HAHN VEGETABLE TOPPER Nov. 4, 1930.

3 sheets-sheet 3 Filed April 4. 1927 0 Vivid .4,

'Illlllllllllllll |l| lllll IHIIII /EOY lhaw-HV /NVENTOR A TTORNEY Patented Nov. 4, 1930 UNrrED STATES .ROY HAHN, OF PLASANT VALLEY, IOWA, ASSIG'NOB.- OFAON'E-HALF TO WILLI-AM'LEESE i rasataA VEGETA-BLE TOPPER Application led April,

vMy present invention pertains broadly to vegetable harvesters and4 more particularly to machines for topping vegetables before they are removed from the ground, this machine beingV designed primarily to remove the tops from onions before they are har- -vested but being capable of use also inV connection with other crops, 'by ajproper acjustment'of the parts thereof. While I have le designedharvesting machinery to be used in conjunction with .the present apparatus for removing the vegetables from the ground concurrently with the topping thereof, I have confined the present disclosure to the topping mechanism which will presently be described. Y Y

Among the'objects of my invention are to provide mechanism adapted for the raising of the fallen tops of onions and cutting same from the bodies thereof; to provide mecha nism of the character indicated suitable for the topping of onions; to provide mechanism of the character indicated which can be adjusted to various heights from the surface 25 of the ground over which the machine is being propelled; to provide a machine which will lift the tops of onions from the ground, lafter they have fallen, and carry them up to a cutting mechanism where they v 30 will be severed from the bodies thereof; to

stood as illustrative only and not as limiting said invention.

In the annexed drawings, Fig. 1 `discloses Y in solid lines a side elevation of my construction applied toa well-known form of tractor; Fig. 2 shows a plan view of my device and indicates the position thereofwith relation to the `driving wheels of the tractor; Fig. 3

is a front elevation of the structure Yshown'A in Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4 is a plan view of a 1927. sei-iai No. 180,738.

cutter element designed `rto sever the vegetable tractor to which my device is adapted to be Y attached forfthe purpose indicated and numerals 2 and 3` denote respectively the driving wheels and the reary and sustaining'wheels of this tractor. Forming a part ofthe frame# Work of the tractor is a cross bar 4 upon which are mountedvarious clamps 5,6 and 67; In two of these clamps on opposite sides of the tractor are mounted bent bars 7 which carry stub axles onfwhich are mounted the wheels 3. These bars'? and wheels 3 serve to sustain the rear portion ofthe tractor and prevent the same from falling. Y

The l'clamps 5 mounted on and adjustable along kthe bar. 4 yhave the angular bars 8 clamped therein, the same being adjustable both vertically and transversely to properly position the mechanism.v These bars SeX- tend forwardly into Contact with the rear side of the yoke plate or frame 9, then 'down-l wardly along the back side of this plate and rearwardly as indicated at 10 to 'serve as supporting means for the harvestermechanism, for the attachment of which holes 1,1 are pro-A vided.V A bar 12 is secured at 13 to 'the' lback side of the plate 9 andthen extends rearwardly and downwardly as indicated at 14 in Fig.` 1 and then laterally as indicated at 15, Fig. 2, to serve as supporting meansV for the drive wheel carrying yoke or frame 16. This yoke is pivoted at 17 but is prevented from dropping down when the rear of the tractor is lifted by reason of the fact that it engages the horizontal parts 15 of bar 12, the extremities of whichare securedby bolts 18 or the like, indicated more clearly in'Fig. 2. The partsvS, V9, 10, 12 and `15 constitute a framework to be attached to the power vunit or tractor and to carry the other parts of my apparatus.k

y Adrive wheel, or trailer wheel, 19 yprovided with 'ground engaging lugs 20 is piv-V oted uponran axle 21 passingthrough-the i 'the trailer wheel 19.A A sprocket wheel 22 yoke 16 which constitutes-a framework for yis connected rigidly *with the ground wheel v19 and serves as a vdriving means for the sprocket chain 23.' This chain-passes over a 'smallersprocket-- 24 andthus serves as driving means Vfor,the-shaft V carrying at its Y endsthe bevel gears 26. This shaft passes r10 Y I i .forwardisi'de o-ffplate 9 .and has other sprocketthrough ybearings in lugs 27' carried onv the wheels 28 secured thereto. for a purpose to be presently described. Vertical shafts 30 are carried in bearingsin lugs 31, and 32. on the'front side of the plate 9; These shafts 30 .have at theirupper ends bevel gears133 'which' mesh ywith the gears 26 Vto cause rota- Y tionof the shafts 30, which shafts carryadj jacent' their' lower. ends; cutting heads 34 Vshown clearly "in Figs4-and 5,- As shown in Fig.-5 the blades of the cutter'head are sharpened at, theirforward edgesto serve-as cut-V ting means-V` for the vegetable tops. "The blades ofthese; cutter heads maybe either integral vwith. the hubsor. may besecured l thereto: by' rivetsvor other. suitable means.

' these blades detachable sothat in ev-entf one However, it vis-believed preferable,to have of themgets broken or too badlyV bent to be of further service it may bel removed and a newfonesubstituted without-the necessity of l j replacingthewhole cutter head. kI prefer'to use vfourfof these cutter blades or arms n though any suitable number may-be used. ItA

will beobserved that these cutter heads are driven in oppositel directions.andtherefore cause thej tops to be Cutiin the direction of theout'side ofthe machine sothatthey will liavemore ofa tendency to gotowardthe out# sideo'f. the machinethan toward the middle thereof.. A pair-of guide and cutter bars 37 and, 38;-,is provided for each. cutter head34 Y to. receivethej topszfrom .the screwsl 36 and guide them' toward.l theY cutter heads. e These cutterk bars ,are bent as .indicated at. 39` to have a vertical partAQsecure'd by bolts41'to the llower.,end'of-the U-plate9-` Thesebars are thereforereadily removable inevent they be'- come.. injured. or for otherreasonsit is desir. able-,to remove them.: n .Y e

f Shafts .42 :passing through `bearings .iny lugs uponi the rearjside-foflplate Qcarry attheir opposite'endsbevelr gears; 43. toy mesh with corresponding bevel.gears 44"-uponfthe rear extremitiesof' the shafts 45 of'screwsy. Sprocketwheels 4.6.aremounted adj acentth'e" innerend'sof'the. shafts 42.van'd are.in :onnected-y rini driving relation with. the4 sprockets ,28.

'means .ofi sprocket chains'..k The shafts 25.7a'nd` 42,;1'nay be extended and-havepthe sprockets 28 andy 46 mounted outsideV of; the

' gearsifiand bars Itvvillbeseenthat as ythe ground Wheel v19 turns, duringl thefad;A

if'ancementofthetopper over thegrourrd, the

,Spreekt@etaimee'wiii; @weerom-.isa faire Shaft 25 andthis willin-turn cause rotationofV .the shaft-sr 42 and 80. Rotation of the shafts k42causes rotation'of the shafts 45, and conse- I quentlythe screws 36. Therefore, as thetops i comev into engagement with the screws 36V they willfbe carried along these oppositely rotating screws until theycomeintothe path of thefrotating cutter heads ,34 when they` be severed from, the vegetables 'themselves and will drop over the sides of thetop lifters out of the wayy of 'the*rest-oftIl t'lieinachinery. The top lifters comprise the screws 36, bars and shoes 58, with their associated parts.

Bars 50, bentlaterally at 51 are perforatedlat 52 fort-he vpassage ofthe shafts '45andwV thereforeserve-as a bearing for therear ends f of those shafts.` Thesergbars'aregthenfbents c rearwardly and are provided'with-perforatedl j vheads 53`r through.which'the shafts .42.pasjs.l

Tt will therefore be seenthat the'bars f58 can be turnedlabout the' shafts42-without .dis- *i connecting: thev gears 48 and-44 or placing.V

`anystrain thereon. "f [lhisifs importantasvit is sometimes advisablefto'fraise the-Stoplifters from thevground andjit is; alsonecessarythat these be lcapable lof'risingandffalling with anyf unevenness in-- the Vgroundy so',y that, they shall constantly comezincontact with thesurface of thefeld duringoperation..` f Y Brackets 55 are secured to lthe sidesoftlie v bars50, asindicatedEm0st clearly infFigE 2, l

- vand are perforated at 56 tofurnisha .bearing for one lend ,ofl shafts"45'. v,The Varms50 and brackets,areperforated adjacent their ends for the reception of the Iaxles 57 upon `which are-.carried the jshoesi58. Insideof theseI i shoesV andon thejVVaX-le'sl 57 vare supporting wheels 59upon which the forward` endsbf these top lifters are carried. By preference,

on'eside of each. shoe `58 isjslottedasindicated at .60 and aY bolt-61 1 passes throughl the slotV and throughs the bary 50- and is held l in adjusted positionby, a/wingnut .or anyk other the factory at the substantially correct angle.

If it shouldbe thought desirable, the'wheels' Y 59 can have bevelv gears or other suitable driving mechanisms connected therewith inside of th'e'shoes 58 and can be used tolope'r-- ate thefshafts 45, instead of the means proe vided. However, there are seri-ous objections t o. thisf'and I; .preferl to use. the methodr` vv0f drivingf here; disclosed. It is also desirable tohave meansfconnected with each-of the lifters whereby'they can l beg raisedV fromr contact with theground when turning' corners;

This; canv readily be provided` inthe form; of;

an extension, of:eacheofthebarsjO nearwardf.

Lari Y handle 70 for purposes of operation. A cross Y bar 71 connects the handles 7 2 of the tractor these top lifters'when turning corners and 1 and notches 73 are provided in the lower edges of the arms to engage with this cross bar 7l when the handles 7 0 are pulled backwardly to raise the top lifters. It will be understood that when the handles 7 O are pulled backwardly the bell-cranks 68, 65 will be turned upon their pivots 66 and links 63 will be shoved downwardly to push the extensions 62 downwardly andl raise` the for-` ward ends of the top lifters. When it is desired to again lower these top lifters,.it is only necessary to raise the handles 70 and the weight of the lifters will cause them to drop into contact with the ground. As indicated above, it is desirable to be able to raise at other times. This mechanism will very satisfactorily accomplish that purpose.

Slots 74 are provided to permit the top lifters to rise and fall with the unevenness of the ground without the vnecessity of moving parts 63 to 70.

The bar 4 and brackets 67 shown in Figs. 1 and 3 have been omitted from Fig. 2 in order not to confuse the disclosure by reason of the large number of lines which it would be necessary to have in the vicinity and just rearwardly of pivots 69. It is mentioned here that dotted lines are used to indicate the positions of various parts of the tractor which is, itself, old, and that solid lines are used to indicate my new construction, which is used with this tractor.

I have designed various other mechanisms for accomplishing the same result as that accomplished by the mechanism disclosed in this application and itA is therefore to be understood that this disclosure is merely typical and that the specific description of structure set forth above may be departed from without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in this specification and the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, I claim: c

1. In a vegetable topper, a supporting framework, a pair of relativelyV angularly disposed guide bars carried by said framework,a shaft carried by the framework and extending between the guide bars, a cutter head carried by and rotating with said shaft in a horizontal directionV and cooperating with the guide bars in cutting vegetable tops, means to cause actuation of said shaft and head,=and V`means' to elevate :vegetable :tops vand deliverthem between the guidek bars in 'position tobe severed bythe cuttinghead,

the-actuating means for the'shaft including a trailerrwheelfand aframe in which the wheel .ismounted, said framerbeing pivoted adjacent onefend on the supporting framework Vto move vvertically and follow the' contour of the ground- 1 2. In a` structure of the :character `indicated, a supporting frameworl'nl guidebars lcarried thereby ina positionto have vege-y table'- tops delivered between them Vto .be 'severed from the vegetables,.operatingameans carried by the frameworka cutter' adjacent fk the Aguide bars andiadapted to c'ooperateiwith said guide bars to sever vegetable tops from the'bodies when'the tops are delivered between the guide bars; top .lifters having ground" engaging :shoes to lift the"vegetable ftops `from the'groun'd, Yscrews to receive the tops from ythe. shoes .and advance ythem along `the top u liftersY as the machine Iis "advanced along tthe ground, andoperative connections with the driving mechanismffor rotating the screws for the 'purpose statedi-Y 3. In a vegetable harvester, a' toppingV mechanism comprisinga supporting frame- -work and means to `movably support the same above the'ground, a topseverin'g mechf` anisni supported by the framework, driving means therefor, a frame element movably connected to the framework, a drive wheel vmounted therein, a driving connection from the drive wheel to said driving means, a top v ci lifter adapted to raise vegetable tops and move them along the lifter as the machine advances toward the vegetables, and driving connections for operating the lifter to cause the tops to move along the lifter as it advances.

4. In an onion topper, a framework tobe attached to a power unit, a substantially vertical shaft carried by the framework, arms carried by the shaft and rot-ating in a subl stantially horizontal plane, said arms having the forward edges thereof sharpened to serve as cutting means to sever onion tops from the the bodies remaining in the round, guide bars carried by the framewor adjacent the said arms and cooperating there with in the severing of onion tops from the bodies, at the same time leaving the bodies in the ground, a framework pivoted adjacent one end to the first named framework to move up and down with the unevenness of the ground, and a trailer wheel mounted in and rotatable in the second named framework and having driving connection with said vertical sha y .A

5. In an onion topper, a framework to'be attached to a power unit, a frame pivotally connected thereto and carrying a driving wheel, the pivotal connection of said frame permitting the wheel to move in an arc of a 'circle about the connection* of the 4frame to c the..franiework, Aka'sprocket'carried .bythe Wheell oo-axiallytherewith; c a4 shaft, carrying a second sprocket, 4mffmn tedfin said. frame'- work adjacent thepivotal connection, adrive chain connectingthe sprockets operatively, the location `of the .parts ypermitting the frame `toturn aboutitspivotand still keep' the chain f reasonably tight so that it Willbe .prevented lm from becoming accidentally ldetached V-from @ilu -,-,6.z-Infan onion topper, afrarnework to) 'y attached to a {nowerf unit,-afran1e pivotally connectedf thereto .to swing in .a :substantially f Vby*Iieaeon ofy SuchV engagement and movement a* -alng the ground, a; shaft inathe framework adjacentthepivot 'ofthefframe andsubstan- ,120 ti'llypara'llelto the? axis thereof', Aconnections between-said. ground engaging-means andA v LS*aidfsha-'ft whereby the latter may `loe driven l by; the; iollne-r;alescrewl tov elevateV Vegetable E f tops, ashaftgto drvetfsaidvscrew, driving con- VjI1`e,'ct i;n'1s-` between 1 the .aforesaid shafts, and means for manually turning the 4screw about k the second namedshaft to raise vthe screw 1 vfronuthe,"r01'1n'd.v o

q `In witness whereoLrIi hereunto; lsubscribe 30-111yffnametothis;speciication .verticalplangsaid frame carrying means to gengagethe ground and Yfurnish motive -power v 

